A gash of light in time

Last night I was posting about some photography stuff and I mentioned about a certain style I seem to aim for. It isn't in the subject or processing, it is in the sky. I like to use the sky to split a scene and create contrast for the viewer and a space where the eyes are drawn, even though there is nothing there.

I thought I would choose a few to show what I mean.

This one from Tokyo for example has a great deal going on in it that is very easy to over look with a glance. From all the signs to my favourite bit of the entire picture, the little girl in the bottom right struggling to open her umbrella. There are reflections and translucencies that add depth and character but, it is the sky that forces investigation. Because of that bright spot that pulls attention, the viewer must work to find detail and in my opinion, that work creates a stronger bond.

_{Tokyo 2009}

This next one from Amsterdam I posted the other day but similarly, the brightness of the gash in the sky makes people work or, turn away. It is juxtaposed with the long shadows of the people and is balanced by the reflections in the windows from across the street. Again, when you look in at the details hiding in the dark, you can see how busy it really is even though the star of the show is the silhouette of the man on the corner.

_{Amsterdam 2013}

The third here is of a Paris street view, an off the cuff photo where I saw it coming but had no time to adjust settings in the split second before it disappeared. I got lucky. The brightness of the sky and the shadows it creates is what makes it but in the same vein as the man on the corner, the highlight of the shot is the sharp outline of the man on the bike and the angle of his coat gives the impression of motion. For me, this is a fun shot that has the feel of a happy Sunday.

_{Paris 2013}

The last hangs on our bedroom wall and is from our first trip together in Barcelona. Funnily enough, we were returning from that trip 6 years ago today and this is also the day we got engaged back in 2014. This is one of my favourite shots I have ever taken. It is helped by the experience that went with it but it is also because so many aspects of the shot came together. There is the highlight of course of the silhouette of man and dog and the lean they have that balances the frame. I also like that the street is empty up until there and then there is a small group of activity with people living their lives in the Gothic quarter. The gash of light reminds me of a lightning strike that ignites the ground.

_{Barcelona 2012}

Photos tell many stories and as much as people think they capture a moment, they do not. Photos are not static, they change as we change, what we see and feel takes new meanings as our experiences in life shifts, as we become colder or, more loving. Like a song that has hidden meaning rooted within only revealed in experience, photos hide depths we cannot yet fathom for we are too young.

The proliferation of digital, the ubiquity of the camera has meant that a constant stream of images floods our vision and we consume them like fast food. Pictures do not tell a thousand words as we scroll through at lightning speed, they are lost, their meanings obscured for without time for appreciation, the moments within are gone and with the arrival of the next and the next, may never be found again.

Taraz
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